The Mud Fun Process

Here is an outline of the steps for initiating and completing a Mud Fun project.

Steps

Create a Team.

Understand benefits of Mud Fun and Create a team.

We help you create, build, and strengthen a team beginning with a combination of live and prerecorded presentations.

Complete a questionnaire to determine your needs.

Team Training

Train your team on how to work together to create both social goals and a superior hand sculpted functional shelter structure, beginning small.

We train your team via in person and online training sessions.

Book a training workshop.

Assessing and Choosing a Site

Training includes choosing a site for the structure and / or the festive events which could be two different locations or one and the same.

Choosing a simple design and placement/location for the structure are part of the site analysis which is part of training.

Team Bonding

At the chosen site, the team forms a mud pit and fills it with soft, squishy mud.

In the hot summer, the mud pit is used as a mud bath to relieve, relax, heal and rejuvenate the team, attendees and participants. The mud bath strengthens the bonds of your team members and helps recruit new members and creates long lasting memories.

Musical Mudstomp event

The mud pit area becomes the site for the musical mud stomp events which include an audience, music, food and unfired-earthen-masonry building and sculpting activities.

Performing the barefoot mud-stomping dance mixes and churns the clay-mud into a suitable mixture for building and sculpting with, which transforms the labor intensive aspect into a fun, interesting activity.

Create your own culture

Training includes creating music and dances specially for your team and site. Curate your memories with intention. Imprint your vision with your own flavour of music and dance.

Construction Training

Both builders and volunteers with no previous experience are trained to create new processes that empower, create abundance and reduce the financial, social and environmental costs of construction.

Building/construction Days

The building team is trained to help lead building activities to create the foundation, build up the walls, fix in doors, windows, roof and extras to complete the structure.

Finishing Touches

The team is trained to create and apply natural water proof finishes from a range of natural materials. The smooth finished earth walls are able to "breathe" and provide superior indoor air quality.

The Physical Outcome

A unique, durable, artistic, functional hand sculpted structure is completed by the end of the project and becomes a permanent tangible asset.

Belonging to Place

By the time the structure is built you will have instilled a ready-made sense of belonging-to-place that connects people to your site. Rather than trying to promote the site later after construction you can be bringing your target market / tribe to the site and co-creating happy positive memories with them from the beginning

Building the culture.

The finished structure and everything that has been learned along the way is the seed of future projects.

Cold Weather preparation activities

During the cold weather, you and your team can be trained to:

-use wood fired cooking appliances

-prepare the future build site and gather materials for build.

-build a small-scale model of the life sized one to learn the techniques

-host festive events that showcase all of the above to promote the warm weather life-sized program.

Q: How can we increase construction quality while reducing construction costs? (financial, social and environmental)

A: By invoking the spirit of generosity and healing.

Mud Fun trains you / your team to curate your events to make your attendees feel like honoured guests who will leave feeling rejuvenated. and wanting more. They will also be given every opportunity to contribute to the project in whatever ways they can.

This includes :

-support and encouragement

-helping you promote and publicise

-physical presence as audience members and visitors to the site

-labor including event preparation, mud stomping, music making, dance making, brick making, wall building, other building. food preparation, serving, pack up, clean up

-gifts in the form of cash and/or materials for the build

*create a wish list of everything you want and need and make it available for others to see,

It is to be expected that different people will give different amounts of energy or money to the project. For example, young people with lots of energy will be able to make more bricks whereas older people might have more ability to give cash. A special friend or family member who knows certain particulars about your( the owner builder’s) financial situation, or others who resonate with the project may like to give more money. We trust in people’s better nature and know that people who don't give money might give more energy and effort towards achieving the project’s goals. The final balance between giving and receiving is determined by the unique dynamics of each group which determines the financial outcomes for the owner-builder.

The owner-builder can launch a fundraising campaign to solicit funds from family, friends and others who may like to donate to the cause. Even people who are unable to attend the event can still give to the cause and show support from afar.

Mud Fun can help with this.

Completing the structure

When the structure is completed and inhabited by a happy resident/s it validates the true value of the festive earthen masonry building culture that Mud Fun is espousing. Therefore Mud Fun wants and needs the structure to be completed and inhabited as soon as possible. We are seeking individuals who share in this desire and vision.

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Building the culture.